Snow threatens wildlife

Written by Cllr Tony Harwood and published in The Independent on Mon 11th Jan 2010

The impact of prolonged snowfall on birds and other wildlife is causing starvation, dehydration and hypothermia, a grim toll rising with every day the snow blanket persists.

Less widely understood is the insidious toxic legacy for wildlife of the tonnes of salt grit spread on our roads, a few footways and some car parks. Road-salt contaminates ground- and surface-water, poisons wildlife and kills trees and other vegetation. Birds, including already-declining species such as house sparrows, are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of ingesting road-salt. Aquifers, rivers, streams and ponds (and hence our drinking water) are also sensitive to contamination from road-salt and anti-caking agents.

To tackle this toxic legacy, local authorities and their contractors must rely far less on liberal applications of often ineffective road-salt and more on the traditional approach of mechanical snow-clearance, using contractors with machinery and shovels. De-icers and traction-aids should be deployed in environmentally sensitive rural and riverside locations.

We can help our embattled wildlife by keeping feeders well-stocked, and regularly putting out scraps and fresh water.

Cllr Tony Harwood

Maidstone, Kent